The Devil's Backbone
by Waffle the Badger
Summary: Reckless, crazy, insane, evil, I have been called many things. But they don't know what keeps me going, they don't know me at all. I've been mocked and hated, I've seen more blood than you've seen sunrises, but I will never give up. So please let me be, I don't need you to save me.


**AN/ Hi there! So yeah this is my new fanfic, The Devil's Backbone. I'm really exited about it! :D And oh yeah, I adopted the idea from Broken Song Lost In The Wind, Just thought I'd clear that up. Hope you like it! :D**

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><p>Sparkpaw ran through the forest, shadows dancing over her jet-black fur. Her breath freezing as she looked up at the night sky, she realized that it was moon-high. <em>Right on time. <em>She thought. Sparkpaw's goal was simple; reach the ShadowClan border without anyone noticing.

Eventually, the trees and undergrowth gave way to a small, moonlit clearing. This was where she was supposed to be. Sparkpaw sat down, still trying to catch her breath from her long sprint. She scanned the clearing for any signs of life. Nothing. She was alone. Suddenly, a noisy rustle came from the bushes on the other side of the clearing. Sparkpaw tensed. Had someone followed her from ThunderClan camp?

A small ginger tom exploded from the bush. Sparkpaw laughed as he tackled her with his claws sheathed.

"Foxpaw, you startled me!" she meowed, smiling.

Foxpaw laughed. "That was the whole point!" he replied with a mischievous glint in his eye.

Sparkpaw rolled her eyes. "Alright, Alright. Now get of of me, you big oaf!" she told him playfully, shoving him off. Sparkpaw stood up and buried her black nose in Foxpaw's orange fur near his shoulder.

"I missed you." she whispered.

"It feels like forever since I've seen you." Foxpaw agreed, licking the top of her head. Sparkpaw wished that they like that forever. She was reminded of the time they met, two moons ago. Their Clans were involved in a huge bloody battle at the time, and she and Foxpaw had gotten scared and hid in the same abandoned burrow together. They made friends, and Foxpaw invited her back the next night. She came, and they had been meeting ever since. But about a moon ago, their friendship had blossomed into something more.

Sparkpaw inhaled his scent, and looked up, just as Foxpaw looked down at her, locking gazes. She was lost in his deep emerald eyes, until a growl was heard from the brambles.

They both pulled away and stared at where the growl had come from, just in time to see a large white to throwing himself at them, his teeth bared in a snarl. Sparkpaw had just enough time to recognize him before he bowled Foxpaw over and pinned him to the ground. Foxpaw struggled in his grip, but he was no match for the older tom's size.

"Icefang!" Sparkpaw gasped. So someone _had _followed her from ThunderClan camp.

"Sparkpaw!" Icefang snarled. "What are you doing here with this ShadowClan scum?" Sparkpaw's eyes widened in horror. The ThunderClan warrior was _this _close to discovering their secret.

"We were just-" Foxpaw was cut off when Icefang placed and unsheathed paw on his throat.

"Never mind, I saw what you were doing." he growled, looking over at Sparkpaw. So he did know. Foxpaw started struggling harder.

Sparkpaw held his gaze defiantly. "Let him go." she hissed, unsheathing her own claws.

"No!" Icefang spat. "You're both code breakers, and you both deserve to die!" He dug his claws slightly into Foxpaw's throat, and blood welled up from the wounds.

"Sparkpaw... Help..." The flame colored apprentice muttered weakly. Watching Foxpaw helplessly laying there, Sparkpaw snapped. _Nobody _hurt Foxpaw and get away with it.

In cold fury, Sparkpaw prepared to launch herself at Foxpaw's attacker. A cold glint shimmered in Icefang's eyes, as if this was just what he had been waiting for. She hurled herself at him, but it was too late. Icefang had raised his paw, his massive claws shimmering in the one quick flick of his paw, the white tom had slammed his claws down on Foxpaw's throat. Blood gurgled from the wound, and Sparkpaw's eyes widened in terror.

"No!" she yowled. She was so such filled with surprise, that when she landed, she landed on her side, knocking the breath out of her. Icefang smiled and stepped off the ShadowClan apprentice.

"Sparkpaw..." Foxpaw mumbled, his eyes glazing over. One final, rattling breath escaped from his lungs, and then he lay still.

"No." Sparkpaw whispered. Memories upon memories flooded over her, all from the times Foxpaw and her had spent together. The time they first met, the time they had explored the abandoned twoleg nest together, the time Foxpaw had first told her that he loved her... But last of all came an image of him laying on the forest floor, his fur matted with blood, dead.

"No!" Sparkpaw said much louder, forcing herself to her paws despite the deep ache in her chest. "How could you do such a thing?" She yowled furiously at Icefang, fighting back tears.

Despite the commotion, Icefang just sat there calmly, licking the blood from his paws. "Well, I had to prove myself somehow." He reasoned.

Sparkpaw's black pelt prickled in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked him. What could be so important that he had to kill Foxpaw?

Icefang shook his head in amusement. "You haven't seen it? Petalclaw is sick, and our medicine cat has seen that type of sickness before. He says that it's incurable, and she'll die soon. Pretty soon, Stormstar will be looking for a new deputy, and when I impress him by revealing a code-breaker within his Clan-" he paused, shaking a claw at Sparkpaw. "-He'll be sure to make me the next deputy." The white tom explained confidently.

Sparkpaw's yellow eyes narrowed in fury. "Will Stormstar be impressed that you killed a defenseless apprentice? Most likely, ShadowClan will come to get revenge. Will he like that?" she retorted.

Icefang paused mid-lick. He looked over at Foxpaw's body. Then, with a growl rising in his throat, the warrior stood up and stormed over to the small black she-cat. Sparkpaw felt a prick of fear rise up, but she shoved it back down.

Icefang thrust his face close to hers. "You may be right, but mark my words, I _will _find a way to expose your secret to the Clan, and I _will _find a way to be deputy!" he snarled, shoving her into the dirt.

Even though she fell to the ground, Sparkpaw held Icefang's gaze until she was forced to look away. She took one lat look at Foxpaw's dead body, then stood up and sped off into the forest.

Even as she raced through the forest, dodging trees and and leaping over undergrowth, Sparkpaw's mind stayed on Foxpaw. _I can't believe he's dead! _Tears welled up in her eyes, and then were swept away by the wind. As she approached the camp, she saw that Hawkwing was on duty as guard.

He was sitting alert outside the entrance, his ears pricked for the smallest noise. Once he heard Sparkpaw's feet crunching through the dead leaves, he swiveled his head towards her, hackles raised.

"Sparkpaw!" Hawkwing meowed once she came into view. Sparkpaw didn't even raise her head. "What are you doing out so late?" he asked.

"None of your business!" Sparkpaw snapped. Hawkwing certainly didn't need to know what she'd been doing, nor would he understand. The dark brown warrior looked very surprised as she pushed past him. _He probably didn't expect an apprentice to snap at him like that. _Sparkpaw thought. _I'll probably pay for that tomorrow._ But she didn't care. Foxpaw was dead.

She ran to her nest in the apprentice's den, an image of Foxpaw fresh in her mind. Sparkpaw collapsed in her mossy nest, weeping. Sobs racked her shoulders as she cried into her tail. Was StarClan punishing her?

"Sparkpaw?" A small voice from behind her said. She whipped her head up to see her sister, Smokepaw. Sparkpaw growled. What did _she _want?

Smokepaw looked at the ground and shuffled her paws awkwardly. "I was just um, wondering if you were okay." she told her. Sparkpaw narrowed her eyes.

"Go away Sparkpaw, Stop trying to be so helpful all the time." The black she-cat hissed. Smokepaw winced and recoiled. _Too bad. _Thought Sparkpaw. _Shouldn't have bothered me. _She turned herself over so she faced the den wall.

That night, she cried herself to sleep and dreamed solely of Foxpaw.

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><p><strong>AN So what did you think? Did you like it? Tell me in a review! Next chapter will be up soon.**


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